Bona Fide Camaraderie
by Justsimplespeed
Summary: After the Club moves to America to study abroad, things begin to change in the Host Club. Haruhi begins to question her feelings towards Tamaki, while another member begins to embrace his towards Haruhi.
1. Prolouge

Haruhi awoke to nothing in particular. It was that sweet kind of awakening one gets without the aid of an alarm clock or disruption of another kind after sleeping in to their heart's content. It was rare for her and she felt the uncommon feeling of laziness wash over her as she just lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. It wasn't particularly interesting but when faced with it or the effort to get out of bed, somehow the pristine white of the ceiling mesmerized the female. Luckily, it was a weekend so there was none of the usual panic that filled her apartment building. There was no one pounding on her door, shouting some already known warning that she was late for yet another day of school, no one demanding that she hurry. Just silence…something that the female _still_ wasn't used to.

It had only been a couple of months since she had come to America to study abroad and, no matter how many times she told herself that, it still felt like ages, even after she had settled into her apartment; Which was nothing special just a simple place with few furnishings, she figured anything but the essentials would just be wasted space and more for her to manage between school and work, but it was comfortable. She supposed she was still getting used to living alone, though she failed to see how it was much different from living with her dad who always seemed to be working. Still...She couldn't shake the feeling that something was _missing_...

"_Haruhi!_"

...Well, that thing _wasn't _Tamaki, that's for sure.

The female didn't bother to move as she heard the blonde letting himself in (if she had really cared she wouldn't have given him her spare key). She sighed, realizing her train of thought had just veered off the tracks, crashed and then burned against Tamaki's appearance. _Oh well..._The female figured it was for the best. She was thinking too much for a weekend anyway.

"What are you still doing in bed, silly?" Tamaki eyed her curiously as he stepped in her room before strolling over to her window and pulling open her curtains, letting the sunlight explode into the room and making Haruhi retreat under her blankets faster than the light had come in. "It's a beautiful day outside! We should be out there enjoying this-Haruhi?" The blonde looked at the lump the female had transformed into and blinked. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Haruhi's response was muffled in the folds of her blanket and she reemerged as she repeated herself. "Nothing's wrong."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Easily convinced, Tamaki rushed over, grabbed Haruhi's hands and pulled her to her feet, nearly making her fall flat on her face in his haste. "Hurry up and get ready! Everyone's waiting for us!"

_Oh, that's right_. Haruhi didn't know how it had slipped her mind. They had planned to meet Kyoya and the twins for lunch today. Tamaki had been blabbering about it all week, even if Haruhi figured it wasn't that big a deal. After all, like Tamaki, they all shared the same apartment building with her so they saw each other constantly, though most of the time Haruhi was at work or studying.

Now, that was one thing that _was _different. When the Host club had disbanded and the majority of it moved abroad to America, Haruhi found out for the first time how much of her spare time had formerly been eaten up by the club and found herself wondering how she had ever found time to do anything else. Nowadays, she hardly knew what to do with all the extra time on her hands (one of the two majour reasons she had gotten a job in the first place). Whatmore, she found that she missed the day-to-day chaos that had come with the club despite the fact most of the members had come with her. It just wasn't the same and she couldn't explain it.

Inwardly, Haruhi shook her head. She was thinking too much about it, the answer was simple. They had grown-up, that was all. No matter how impossible it seemed she knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, it had to happen eventually, even to someone like Tamaki.

And that was what she was afraid of...

"You're not hurrying!" Said blonde whined, snapping the brunette out of her thoughts for a second time and back to the matter at hand.

"Alright, I'm going." Haruhi said automatically as she started towards the bathroom. Behind her she heard Tamaki open the closet and the shuffling of hangers and shook her head, trying to remember the last time _she _had actually picked out an outfit herself. She didn't really mind anymore though, it had taken awhile and several refusals but she had finally pounded it into the former club king's head that she dressed for comfort not style, though she had been known to slip during special occasions.

Figuring it was already too late to do much but the basics and her hair (if she spent much longer than that she knew she'd be getting some kind of remark from the twins for being late), Haruhi began her morning ritual and settled for just making her hair look decent, making sure to pin her bangs to the side so she could see straight while making a mental note to cut the extra quarter inch that had grown since moving. Going back into the room, she saw Tamaki finished raiding her closet and had taken to waiting outside. He had done it more out of respect than anything else, she knew. Was that normal in a teenaged relationship? Sure, respect was important in any relation but she had figured it was more essential to business partners rather than a boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Quit it." She scolded herself. "You're thinking about it too much." That said she finished getting ready and went out to meet Tamaki.

"You look adorable!" Tamaki cooed, but as the picker of her current autumn attire Haruhi already guessed he thought it was cute. It was too, she had to admit. A faded pink winter jacket that almost reached her knees, a matching white scarf and her favourite pair of black pants more than passed her qualifications for comfortable. "I hope you don't mind, but I thought we could enjoy this beautiful day and take in the beauty of nature to the fullest if we were to walk to the restaurant instead!" Tamaki added, eccentrically.

"Fine by me," Haruhi said with no particular tone, she had already been expecting as much from the blonde and, in all truth, would have suggested they walk anyway. It was far too nice of a day to be cooped up in a vehicle, fancy or not. Besides, maybe walking would take her mind off of things.

They had been walking in a comfortable silence for all of three minutes before Tamaki asked once again, but with a more noticeable tone of concern this time, "Is something wrong?"

Well, so much for taking her mind off…

Reluctantly, the female nodded. While she didn't feel any need to make Tamaki worried she knew trying to hide her budding concern was useless. The blonde may act like an idiot, but there was a strong sense of maturity buried under all that, this Haruhi knew better than anyone. "Something just doesn't feel right…" she began, wishing she could give a better explanation but, for all that honour student in her, found she couldn't. Eventually she came up with, "It's just…boring." Okay, that wasn't much better but it was all she had. "I guess, it must be the move and I'm not completely settled in yet. I'm sure I'll get over it." She added as a last attempt to make this sound effortless.

Tamaki was uncharacteristically silent for a few minutes before turning his ever-so-wise gaze to the female with a boastful grin. "I'll bet it's just because you're stressed. We barely set foot in this country before you decided to run off and find a job to juggle on top of school." The blonde shook his head, wagging a playful finger at Haruhi. "You just need a day off, a day to relax, a day to—"

"I get it." Haruhi cut in, seeing where his enthusiasm would soon take him. It was too early for him to start recited monologues at her. "But I don't need it," she stated, and then allowed the barest hint of a smile grace her lips. "Besides, just sitting around and talking to my friends will help, I'm sure." She said this matter-of-factly, more by force than intendancy but Tamaki still picked up on the anticipation in the female's voice.

If you say so," he replied in the same tones, flashing her one of his trademark smiles that he knew she couldn't help but smile back to.

For the first time that day, Haruhi felt a swelling sense of delight inside her. No matter what the problem, if anything, no one could make her feel more at ease that Tamaki.

_But how much longer will this last?_

_

* * *

_

**_And there is the first chapter for my new Ouran fic :D Short, just like all my other first chapters but you get the point...right? ._. if you read, please review. Only takes a minute ;)_**


	2. Lunch Date

**Koko: Awe, thank you. I never really knew how to write them but I'm glad you think my jon is brilliant :) And I updated after long last!**

**Fanajalo: I updated :D**

**It's a Joke: HEY. Me too XD Not that I don't like Tamaki's wackiness or anything ;)**

**SoBe-Yummies: Good you say? Well I sure hope so cause I'm just going with the flow on this one XD**

**Tenten628: Thank you for saying my fic is good looking XD Any HikaxHaru goodness is good goodness :P**

**Forsaken Avenger: Everyone seems so excited to see where this one goes o.o I hopeI do good XD**

**VIP: Tell me about it. I personally woule rather date Hikaru (and only if Kyoya wasn't an option), but that's just me :)**

**Lady Maeror: I love him too! I do not like Haruhi's being taken by him though :/ I hate that too and trust me I'll make it as gradual as I possibly can ;)**

**Kassehface: That's alot of lovin' you go there o.o Um...Is this soon? XD**

**Ultimate Host: Yep. After manga but there'll be hints of the anime in here too :)**

**Tamafanowo: Why thank you :D Let's hope it stays that way**

The restaurant was one of the finest in the city, or it was at least in the opinion of a group of people who had grown accustom to the fanciest and well-prepared meals money could buy (with the average 'commoner's' meal here and there). So, in that sense, it was remarkable by Haruhi's basic standards. It wasn't a particularly big place either, obviously build for small gatherings and quick lunches, but it offered outside seating within what looked like a large plastic tent connected to the building that was warmed by heaters in the rough shape of lampposts.

It was here Haruhi and Tamaki found the rest of their discrete club. They had barely stepped towards the table when the twins' pointed identical, accusing fingers at the duo.

"You're late." They scolded, clicking their tongues in disappointment and shaking their heads in an interesting mirror effect. "Typical commoner."

_Saw __that__ one coming…_Haruhi inwardly sweatdropped but didn't bother arguing that the fault could be traced back to Tamaki for not waking her up earlier (after all her actual alarm clock had had a very unfortunate encounter with the floor and her foot not too long ago). Aloud she said, "Thanks for meeting _here_ by the way."

"We couldn't very well meet at your work again, could we?" Kyoya asked, in the way of one who knew they were right and therefore didn't require an answer, as he looked at Haruhi with an amused twinkle in his dark eyes. "Not after our last experience."

"Well what did you think would happen? You guys can't just barge into a place like that and _not_ expect people to react the way they did," Haruhi said matter-of-factly. In truth the whole incident, while utterly stressful at the time, was now one of the highlights of their days in America.

It had been about the second week of the club's move when Haruhi had started to work in one of the city's better restaurants as a waitress, figuring her days of hosting would make it a cake-walk. And it had been, until Tamaki had blabbed to the twins that she had taken a job (something she had strictly told him _not_ to do that he insisted had slipped when the twins threatened him with the beheading of his teddy bear) and the twins, and a reluctant Kyoya, hadn't so much as stopped in for a visit as they did slam through the doors and demand to know why Haruhi hadn't informed them about her employment. At the time Haruhi had been one of the many workers serving a private birthday party of mainly females that reminded her greatly of the girls they used to serve, but she didn't know exactly _how_ much until they had all laid eyes on the unsubtle male hosts (who had been described by one girl as '_undeniably sexy_', Haruhi remembered). For a split second Haruhi was worried the girls would invite the hosts to join them but it turned out they would rather squeal in delight and chase the hosts out of the building like a wave of groupies, which was all fine by Haruhi.

_That'll teach them to bother me at work again,_ she thought with an inward smirk. Not that it mattered because she still had a hard time convincing the other employees the hosts were just friends when before she had already had a hard enough time explain to them how she could be dating a 'majour hunk' like Tamaki.

Thinking back on all this, Haruhi was just about to wonder when the boredom she had felt earlier today had come around when someone came by to take their orders, breaking her from her thoughts.

"So..." The twins began slyly once the server had left, turning equally mischievous looks to Haruhi. "How's your relation with our former king doing?" From the way they said it, it wasn't clear whether they were generally curious or just trying to irk Tamaki.

Either way, it irked Tamaki. "That's none of your business!" The former king declared before Haruhi could even twitch a mouth muscle to answer.

The twins held their hands up in defense, wearing identical grins. "No need to get so defensive. It's just too weird to see you tied to one girl, boss." They said earnestly.

"Besides," Hikaru shrugged. "We're only asking because we're concerned."

"We think of Haruhi as a little sister," Kaoru elaborated.

"And we wouldn't want her to be hurt by some idiot," they finished together, giving Tamaki furtive looks. "That's all we're sayin'."

"You do realize we're the same age, right?" Haruhi asked them levelly while wondering when they got such mellow personalities compared to their old ones. Though there was still that unmistakably gleam of trouble in their eyes Haruhi realized that they hadn't ribbed Tamaki further on the matter, something she once knew they would never pass up.

"Yeah, but you're a girl and we can't have other guys taking advantage of you," the twins said reasonably.

Then, as if to prove their point, another one of the restaurant's customers, a male, walked by their table back to his seat. But not without winking non-too-subtly at Haruhi, who blushed and looked away hurriedly, only to find that most male eyes were being thrown her way. _Oh great…_she thought, shifting her gaze down to the table. _Now I know how a zoo animal feels_…

Rather unamused at this development, the male portion of the former Host Club turned their own glares to each and every one of the eyeballers set on their female companion. If looks could kill, it was a given every one of them would have been blown to smithereens in a matter of seconds.

"Mind your wandering eyes you hooligans!" Tamaki exclaimed and that was all they need to turn back to their menus and food. After all, in this country an angry blonde will only lead to something that no one wants to get involved in, no matter how attractive the girl next to him was.

Only once the inside of the tent was back to normal, though now somewhat tense, Kyoya adjusted his glasses further on the bridge of his nose before saying, "Did you hear that Mori and Honey got accepted into Ouran University?" He asked as if the conversation had come about naturally rather than abruptly.

"Like there was ever a doubt," the twins scoffed with identical shrugs. "The school would have to be ten kinds of crazy not to accept them."

"Heck, _we_ could get in there without any problem if we really wanted to," Hikaru figured, though it was obvious from his tone he had no such plan.

Kaoru nodded in full agreement. "Too bad it's too dull for our taste, I don't know how Honey-senpai and More-senpai can stand it."

"Well, maybe their standards aren't as low as yours," Haruhi remarked, but there wasn't much effort behind it. "Still...I wish they could have come with us, I think they'd like all the chaos over here. It keeps me entertained, that's for sure."

Tamaki gave the female a look of curiosity. "Does that mean you don't feel bored anymore?" He wanted to know, secretly hoping she was. There were many of the female's moods that his naturally playfully personality could deal with on its own but this new one left it useless and, frankly, the former Host King wasn't sure how to handle it, which bothered him. Though he didn't dare show it in front of the twins.

"Wait..." The identical brothers said slowly, as an even slower smirk spread on their identical faces. "Haruhi? _Bored?" _The brothers turned to each other with looks of feigned shock before looking at the female. "Maybe we should come around more often then, huh? You know, liven things up a bit?"

"No thanks," Haruhi refused bluntly, knowing the twins' livening things up would be the equivalent to a small twister passing through her life. There was far more harm intended than good, she knew.

A few minutes later, several waiters returned with the group's food, effectively minimizing their chit chat, though there was the odd comment here and there. While years of nibbling on fancy assorted foods had its perks, the former hosts weren't the last to admit that the subtly of American food was almost as enjoyable as what they were used to.

In fact, they would say it wasn't just the food that made studying abroad enjoyable. There was something about being among people of a different origin that almost excited them, which wasn't as hard to understand as some might think while considering how the original hosts had acted when they had first met Haruhi. In a way, they all found it…_fitting._ The Host Club had been more than just a school club formed with the intent of 'pleasing young ladies', something _much_ more. Everyday had been an adventure, whether it was big or small, and when the club had disbanded they each had the same concern of their lives going back to the way they were before meeting each other. Yet, something in them all said life would never be the same again and when the opportunity to go abroad came up they took it willing. And being so open to change was something a few of them would never been able to do if they hadn't been exposed to it on a daily basis.

Hence this adventure lay before them with the promise of excitement around every corner. Yet that feeling of monotony still clung to Haruhi like an anorexic leech. Even as the female tried to convince herself things would look up and that they just needed time to adjust, something in the back of her mind said otherwise while another part of her nagged at her that she _knew_ what was causing it. She just didn't want to _admit_ it…

"Earth to Haruhi!" The twin's voices penetrated the females thoughts, effectively bringing her back to reality some minutes later to find the other staring at her either puzzled or indifferently. The twins shook their heads in mock disappointment, "Boy, you really _are_ out of it, aren't you? Did you even hear a word we just said?"

Judging by the sudden flush on Haruhi's cheeks, they were willing to bet the answer was no.

"We were just discussing a journey to the beach," Kyoya filled in helpfully. "It would be a shame not to take advantage of the thinning tourism when one can enjoy a walk without having to avoid others."

"Besides," Tamaki added, obviously hooked on the idea and willing to say whatever he could to convince her to go. "The weather is far too pleasant to simply ignore and be cooped up inside for the rest of the day."

That Haruhi agreed with, plus being stuck inside all day would do nothing for her mind and her mood. "Sounds good to me," she said when it became apparent they were all waiting for her answer.

After a short celebration from Tamaki and the twins, the meal was paid for and they set off on foot for the beach. Or at least they did the latter after a quick 'potty break', as Tamaki so childishly put it, however the 'quick' part was somewhat diminished seeing as how the twins (being the last ones) took the temporary break with the absence of the others to strike up a conversation between each other.

"I still don't know what's so great about him," Hikaru half stated, half grumbled as he stared into the bathroom mirror at his own miffed reflection before shifting his eyes to his brother, who was leaning on the opposite wall.

Kaoru sighed, knowing full-well his brother could see. It was the sigh of a person who heard this statement often and saw no signs of it disappearing in the near future. "That's not true and you know it." He said calmly, meeting his brother's gaze evenly. "Get over it already. Get over _her_."

Hikaru closed his eyes irritably while ignoring the little voice in his head telling him that, like most times, Kaoru was probably right. "Aren't you supposed to be _encouraging_ me? Wasn't it you who kept telling me I need to open up to people?"

"Would you rather have me lie to you?" The younger twin asked, already knowing the answer. "Face it, you had your chance and there's nothing you can do now. Just be happy she didn't end up with a _complete_ moron and get on with your life."

While the last part wasn't said as anything more than a suggestion of common sense, Hikaru still felt a ping of anger towards the subject...Or maybe anger wasn't quite the right word. _Envy_ seemed to fit better, jealousy was better still. The older twin would never admit it out loud but he did have a certain extent of jealousy towards Tamaki even if it was directed mostly at his relationship with Haruhi. Even from the first time he'd met her there had been something different about the female's commoner behaviour that interested him and, though he wasn't sure when, he had become interested in _her _too after a time. He hadn't realized just how much he had come to like the lone female member of the club until she had admitted to having feelings towards the club's founder. It was a bittersweet feeling overall. He was happy _she_ was happy, but not so much happy that she was happy with Tamaki. It was complicated, but Kaoru was right...What _could_ he do?

* * *

There was a peaceful setting about the beach that day. The weather, while fine to the former hosts, didn't promote many others to visit the stunning blue-green water , which left the beach clear of the usual summer crowds of hyperactive children and impish teenagers. A gentle breeze pushed the tide to shore before gravity claim it once again in a game of tug-a-war that was within inches of touching the feet of the group walking on the shore in a relative, but comfortable, silence. Already, the sky was showing reds and oranges of sunset, casting long shadows along the sand and turning the water into a golden pool.

It was times like this, Haruhi thought, that the time she spent with the Host Club seemed like a dream. It was hard to believe that she had spent nearly her whole high school life living by the sides of six strangers she now thought of as family, and most of whom had agreed to come with her to study abroad. It had never really crossed her mind that something like that would happen to her given her status at Ouran, but it had happened and she soon grew thankful of it. As an only child she'd never really come to rely on people her age (in fact she was almost irritated by them) but with the club she had come to know what it was like to have brothers, a relation she almost figured she'd have to live without. And then there was Tamaki.

The thought of brothers had been enough to stun the female, but actually having feelings towards one of them like she did with Tamaki was, well…Unbelievable. In the beginning, she had purely denied that she was capable of feeling anything but annoyance towards the blonde and had almost managed to convince herself that it was true until she realized she was just kidding herself. Thought it had been a shock when Tamaki had announced he felt the same towards her, and there was no doubt in the female's mind that he still did. She just couldn't say the same about herself.

She sighed, a heavy sigh that went unnoticed by the rest of the group currently scattered around the beach observing anything from the seashells to the palm trees. Looking out into the ocean, Haruhi's mind flashed back to the time at Okinawa when she had been thrown into the ocean trying to defend a group of girls from a small gang of punks. Tamaki had saved her then, though she had told them she was perfectly capable of swimming out on her own, and now she found a kind of irony in the fact that she now seemed to be drowning in questions with no answers. Then there was that boredom nipping at her heels. When had it come around? Haruhi thought it had to be around her first work incident; no…She _was_ sure of it. It had been after that that Tamaki had devoted himself to being at her side almost 24/7 and, while it was a sweet and somewhat creepy motion (but nonetheless a Tamaki motion) she had soon found out that their relationship was almost a rut.

It was the same thing, day in and day out. Now Haruhi wasn't the kind of person who necessarily went looking for trouble (granted it always had a knack of finding her) but there was something about the loop of her relationship that almost made her want to take up bungee jumping, if only for something a little different.

"Haruhi!" Like so many times before, Tamaki's voice dragged the female back down to earth with a resounding _thud_. "Come look at this!" The blonde was waving his arms frantically and the female could faintly see him holding something in shades of pinks and grays.

She didn't move right away, in fact there was a thought clawing at the back of her mind that sounded something like '_why should I?' _Realizing her hesitation was currently plastered to her face, Haruhi quickly twisted it to a smile and walked to join the blonde, hoping that her awkward reaction hadn't been too noticeable.

But it had by the ever-watchful Hitachiin twins. A simple shared glance by the brothers told the other something was wrong with their female companion while the other simply restated that nothing could be done and the issue was best left forgotten. Hikaru only wished it was that easy, but something was nagging him about what Kaoru had said. He _had_ had a chance, he knew, but wasn't there that saying…

Didn't people get second chances?

* * *

**Sooooooo. There you go, after months and weeks and days and hours XD But its here now and that's all that matters! Sorry if this chapter seems a bit...suckish, I wrote it in so many sections I was losing my train of thought alot XD Please R&R!**


	3. Change of Heart

**FOAatyourservice: Hmm...Every chapter being necessary, yes ;) I have this fix all planned out but I think you'll like where it goes ;)**

**0Wishful-Thoughts0: Haha. I sure hope you'll like where it goes :D Well, I'll let you in on a little secret: Honey and Mori play an important part in this ffic :) I updated!**

**Lady Maeror: Yep. Hika's jealous, and that's awesome :D I'm glad you like it and hope you like this next chapter :D**

"Thanks for coming. Please come again." Haruhi waved farewell as a group of customers prepped themselves for the chill of the weather before exiting the restaurant, sending a cold wind through the doors into the building that chilled the female (who made a mental note to dress in her warmer uniform next time). Retreating further into the restaurant to avoid the cold, Haruhi returned customer's smiles as she made her way back to the kitchen to pick up her latest order, further deepening the imaginary rut she walked in the eight hours of work she did every weekday. It was a job, she supposed, but when compared to the bustle of the Host Club this job just seemed...dull.

Haruhi sighed inwardly. _Oh well..._ She thought. Working wasn't supposed to be fun, right? Besides, she soon found out that very few things seemed to compare to the club anyway.

"Haruhi?" A voice cut into the girl's thoughts and she turned to see one of her co-workers, a rather pretty red-head with brilliant green eyes named Stacy, looking at her with a look both a mix of curiosity and delight. "Someone's here to see you," she giggled in a way that reminded the former host of the club's many girlish guest.

The brunette blinked, confused. "Really? Who?"

Stacy giggled again as she fixed her co-worker with a mischievous grin. "It's one of your hotties," she whispered giddily.

Haruhi's eye visibly twitched, not in the least because 'one of _your hotties_' did little to describe who had come to visit her. Sighing, and wondering why she couldn't just have normally attractive friends, Haruhi thanked Stacy and continued to pick up her order, figuring whoever had stopped for a visit could very well wait considering she had told each of the boys _not_ to visit her at work.

With a sneaking suspicious it had been Tamaki who broke her rule, Haruhi made a point to go slower than usual serving her new customer before making her way back to the front door, already thinking of several things to say to Tamaki, none of which were particularly flattering. Once she was at the door, however, she tilted her head in confusion.

"Hikaru?"

The older twin stopped examining the complementary mint bowl as she walked up to him, looking at her with his typical uninterested expression.

"What are you doing here?" Haruhi asked, trying not to sound too shocked. It was rare for the twins to visit her (at least this late at night), and they had certainly never done it separately.

"If that's how you greet people around here its no wonder it's so empty," Hikaru remarked flatly

Haruhi sweat dropped, irritated. "Did you need something? Besides to grace us with your presence?" she asked, dripping sarcasm.

Hikaru held up his hands in mock surrender, grinning. "Hey, calm down. I was only joking. I was just out for a bit of light shopping and decided to stop by and make small talk." He told her earnestly.

"I'm fine," she replied plainly, wondering why the twin ever cared since they had spoken only three days ago with no big developments in between. "You know, same old…" Seeing Hikaru raise an eyebrow at this last part, she sighed. "I'm _fine_," she assured sourly. "And I'm tired of everyone thinking differently."

"Fine, whatever." The eldest twin shrugged carelessly. "No need to get hostile, it was just a question." Looking at he nearest clock, he gestured to the door. "I'd better head off, I told Kaoru I'd be back soon."

"Um…Okay…" Haruhi couldn't really see the point of the last five minutes but waved good-bye to the twin as he turned to go.

He got about halfway there before Tamaki's voice brought him to a dead halt. "Hikaru? What are you doing here?" The former king asked, sounding utterly confused.

Hikaru looked at the blonde in silence for a few seconds before answering normally, "I was just leaving." And left without another word.

Puzzled, Tamaki watched him go, suspicious, but forgot it a second later when he set eyes on Haruhi. Instantly exclaimed how adorable she was in her work uniform (like everyday) he immediately drew the attention of any customer within fifteen feet of them and Haruhi sweatdropped. _I wonder how long it'll be before I get fired…_ she thought dimly through her growing irritation of the ogling girls and Tamaki's 'you're so adorable' rant.

Even so, the whole point behind the twin's visit had wholly puzzled the female.

Then again, it was just natural twin behaviour, she supposed.

The next morning found Haruhi up earlier than normal, mainly due to the fact she had decided to take an early shift at work so she could focus on her studies that night. Dressing with a heavy sigh Haruhi looked around her empty apartment half-hoping something had magical changed its appearance (though that magic would have probably been Tamaki), and found nothing. With Tamaki having morning classes, her morning had been distinctively boring and lacking the liveliness she had grown accustom to dealing with.

It was peaceful she supposed, but undeniably dull.

And what more, without the blonde's insistent rambling it left the female to her own thoughts. Thoughts she didn't want to dwell on but found she couldn't entirely ignore either, thoughts she was seriously considering confronting in person.

Glancing at the clock, more out of luck than anything, Haruhi swore inwardly. She was late again. Wondering why she hadn't learned yet to set the alarm to avoid this problem, she made her way to the door hastily.

Opening the door she gasped in surprise before she could stop herself.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Hikaru said from where he still had one fist in the air to the threshold. "I would've knocked but you seem to be in a bit of a hurry this morning."

"I'm not." Haruhi answered automatically with more defense than truth. "…I'm just running a bit late, is all…."

The eldest twin shook his head, grinning haughtily. "Typical Haruhi."

Haruhi narrowed her eyes, annoyed. "What are you doing here, anyway? I'm starting to get the feeling you're following me."

The twin scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself, we live in the same building after all," he pointed out then shrugged. "But I couldn't sleep with Kaoru's constant sleep-mumbling so I decided to come see if you need an escort."

"Um…sure, I guess." Haruhi answered unsurely, still confused as to why the twin had taken an unexpected interest in her life all of a sudden. While the twins had always shown somewhat of a soft spot towards her compared to other people they were still never this curious, and even acted like they never gave two hoots about her life at times. Eying the twin peculiarly, she raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "Is anything wrong?"

Hikaru looked at her, perplexed. "What makes you think something's wrong?"

"You've been acting weird lately, then again I guess that's normal." Haruhi added after thought. "But you're acting different than usual."

Hikaru snorted at this first part. "I'll try not to take that as an insult." He told her, though a tone in his voice told her he would get her back for it. "I thought you were running late." He added as he turned to walk out of the building without her.

"Shoot." Haruhi murmured, stepping into the hall and closing her door before running after the twin.

Soon after, a silence casted over the pair and, while normal for them, did nothing to solve the awkwardness that surrounded them.

Eventually, Hikaru broke it as they neared the restaurant. "So, can I ask you a question without you getting all defensive?" He questioned dully, sounded as though he was just making conversation.

"What?" Haruhi was almost afraid to hear it, considering how off the twin had been acting lately but figured it beat the uneasy silence.

"Are you _bored_ with the Boss?" To his credit, the way he said it, it sounded as though the twin didn't care much about her response but the question had been nagging at him for a while. When she didn't respond right away, Hikaru looked at her curiously. "I mean, there's no way you could get bored in a place like this, not with your 'I-need-to-know-everything-there-is-to-know-about-everything' attitude, so it has to be something else. And considering you've never been bored with school, the Boss is the only thing that hasn't really changed."

Haruhi looked at him before looking at her feet, conflicted.

She didn't answer, but her silence had been enough for the twin. "It was just a question. Just forget it." Hikaru dismissed as they arrived at the restaurant and bided farewell to the female.

As hard as she tried though, Haruhi found out she couldn't. For the bluntness behind it, it had been a good and dead-on question that had been eating away at the female for a while now. It seemed ridiculous, if anything, but Haruhi couldn't deny that it was all but impossible. It had been so obvious, yet she had turned a blind eye to the possibility because she didn't want to face the hard reality of what she would have to do if it _was _true. However, as she continued her shift that day she found it was inevitable and as she walked outside later that day she pulled out her phone and absently-mindedly dialed a number.

Exhaling deeply, she held her phone to her ear just as the other line picked up.

"Tamaki…We need to talk…"

* * *

**HAHA! I'm back and writing this once more! And what's better? I got the WHOLE thing all written! So be prepared for more timely updates my dear readers ;) And sorry if this chatter is a bit... choppy. I had problems with it. Anywho, R&R please :D**


	4. Embracing and Letting Go

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews! I'm glad this silly little ffic isn't forgotten, yet XD**

* * *

For the first time in her life, Haruhi could honestly say that she felt horrible. As a naturally aloof person, she had never done much to anyone that had a heavy effect on his or her lives and, frankly, she had never planned to do that to anyone. But that had all changed yesterday… For the first time she had been forced to make another person's good day go suddenly awry and actually make them unhappy.

It was just rotten luck it happened to be Tamaki.

Haruhi sighed a heavy and shaky sigh, much like one that was used to stop unannounced tears from getting too far, as she lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. A part of her felt absolutely horrible, yet another livelier part felt refreshed and free and it was this quarrel that had confused the female after she returned home. Why? She didn't know…and it was enough to make her hate herself.

Why she had done it in the first place was a better question but after pondering it for a few seconds she realized the answer was simple. The twins had been right; she _had_ gotten tired of Tamaki somewhere along the lines of moving, school and work. She had just been too blind and in denial to see it. She had long convinced herself that no one could possibly find Tamaki, the dramatic king of The Host Club, to be…dull, even after a prolonged time. _Annoying_ yes, but never boring.

But she had been wrong.

She wondered why she hadn't noticed, or embraced it earlier. Was it because she still had a shred of hope that things would get better or because she didn't want to admit that things were slowly starting to shift in the former club? Or both? Haruhi didn't know, and she was getting tired of thinking about it. What's done was done and wouldn't be changing anytime soon.

Still…She wondered how the other former hosts would react when they heard the news.

The female groaned and turned to her stomach and back to the textbook that was folded open on her bed and tried to concentrate on it like she had before her mind had wondered aimlessly. Only to find she couldn't. Just like a few days ago a million questions were running through her head and all of them were centered around what had been her relationship with The King. How _would_ everyone else react when they found out? Haruhi shook her head and told herself not to be so worried. Knowing the others it would probably end up that Kyoya had seen it coming, much like the twins (who would probably be glad the whole thing had gone up in flames), and then Honey and Mori…Well, Haruhi wasn't sure about them….

"This is ridiculous," The female whispered to herself. "Quit dwelling on it and get over it already."

Her voice disappeared into the quiet room and she sighed again, and stood up. Being in her room just meant she was going to sit in silence and let her mind wander. Grabbing a jacket she made up her mind to walk down the block and back as she grabbed her keys and opened her door.

Only to once again come face-to-face with Hikaru, though Kaoru stood next to him with the same startled expression.

"Running late for something again?" The younger twin asked, his surprise turning into that typical Hitachiin complacency after a spilt second.

Haruhi shook her head. "No. I was just going out…_Why_ are you guys here?" She asked suddenly, feeling it was a better question.

In response the twins just looked at each other and shrugged. "We dunno," they said straightforwardly. "We were bored and you seemed a bit upset earlier so we decided to stop by and brighten your day," they finished with cheeky grins and Haruhi sweatdropped. Why couldn't she have _one_ bad day without some other host butting into her life? Then again she supposed she deserved it after moping around campus all day where the guys that knew her the best were also enrolled.

"Thanks but I'd rather not have any 'cheering up' right now." The female rejected softly, causing the twins to tilt their heads in confusion and she cursed under her breath knowing what was going to come next.

"Is that so?" The brothers raised identical eyebrows in question as they leaned forward until they were well inside Haruhi's personal bubble, eyeing the female with those sly, golden eyes. "And why's that?"

They didn't expect a real answer, to be honest Haruhi hardly ever fessed up what was bugging her whenever something really was, but when the female took a deep breath and told them, the twins' simply blinked, thinking they had heard wrong.

"You mind repeating that?" Hikaru asked, cupping his hand around his ear.

"I don't think we quite got it." Kaoru added, mimicking his brother's action.

Haruhi sighed. "I….ended it with Tamaki…" she said, sounding no more pleased by it the second time around as the twins looked at each other, shocked. They _had_ heard right but they sure didn't believe it. Even in their skewed way of looking at it, things between the former couple seemed just fine but when Hikaru thought back to his time with the female the other night he realized it was anything but.

"But…_Why_?" Kaoru questioned, sounding almost distraught by the news.

"It's not because of anything we said, was it?" Hikaru asked, ignore the look Kaoru tossed his way. To anyone else, the older twin's question would have sounded genuine enough but Kaoru could pick up on the tones that came with it. It was obvious Hikaru was secretly glad, but he was careful not to show it to Haruhi.

The female shook her head, slowly. " No," she replied. "It's just…I don't know…Things just weren't working out between us, that's all."

There was a silence, during which the twins looked at each other then to the female. "Haruhi..." They said softly, before narrowing their eyes and scoffing. "Don't give us that, what _really_ happened?" They questioned forcefully, making the female scowl at them.

"Things between us just changed, okay?" She stated stonily, already annoyed (and somewhat uneasy) by the conversation. "I don't know how I didn't see it coming, but it did and there's nothing that can be done, alright? So let's forget about it."

The twins looked at her before glancing to each other and shrugging. Their curiosity was far from gone but they knew better than to drag on a subject that was likely going to end with Haruhi yelling at them. So, as if the last few minutes had never happened let alone existed, they linked arms with the female and dragged her out of her house before she could even begin to protest.

"Well, since you're free," Hikaru began good-humoredly as the trio continued down the hall without breaking stride.

"Wanna catch a movie?" Kaoru asked, though if the pace they were walking was anything to go by the twins weren't about to let the female refuse by any means.

Haruhi had half a mind to smack them both as she looked at them in disbelief before seeing the sincerity in their eyes. As annoying as the twins could be, and no matter how outlandish that last request may have sounded, she knew they were just trying to help in their own way. Sighing inwardly, and figured she had to get out of her apartment anyway, she reluctantly agreed. It was a rare thing for the twins to show any type of compassion towards anyone, and a part of her was glad they chose her to partake in the sporadic event.

The twins didn't let her go until they were halfway out of the building and only after she threatened to kick her way free. The trio continued to walk while chit-chatting about anything that came to mind (though they made a point to veer away from a certain broken relationship) until they reached the theatre, bought their tickets to a movie neither of them was quite sure of and watched it with no little amount of amusement.

By the time the movie ended, the sun had almost set completely, though rays of oranges and reds were still shining through the trees that surrounded the theatre. The air had long gone chilly and Haruhi was immediately glad that she had managed to grab a jacket before being kidnapped on her movie date. Regardless, the wind blowing through the city still managed to chill the former hosts even as they did their best to conserve what heat they could by walking shoulder-to-shoulder. Haruhi had to admit, the movie had definitely taken her mind off the day's earlier events and she felt almost relaxed, as weird as it seemed, to the point where she could enjoy the setting sun and feel a renewed sense of sovereignty as well.

The silence that had engulfed the group was only broken when Kaoru's voice rose up in a question. "Did you hear that Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai are coming by for a visit?"

Haruhi did, though "coming by" made it seem like nothing more than a Sunday drive to downtown. All things considered, to the rich, it probably was just like a casual journey so it made sense, she supposed. "It'll be nice to have us all together again," she said with a small smile and Hikaru nodded in agreement.

"I'm sure The Boss will have a field with us all here, though," he added flatly.

"Meaning he's probably going to drag us all downtown for some needless shopping or something," Kaoru agreed in much the same tones as they continued to walk in silence once more, the only sound accompanying them was their footsteps on the cold pavement and whatever noises came from the world around them. They stayed this way until they reached their building and say their farewells and goodnights to each other, then went their separate ways for the night. The twins had hardly been back in their room a second before Kaoru's voice rose up into another question, this one far less happy-toned then the last.

"Are you happy now?"

Hikaru looked up to meet his brother's eyes, noticing the emotion that had been behind them all night for the first time. A cold disappointment was staring Hikaru right in the face as he felt an odd mix of guilt and annoyance wash through him as he narrowed his eyes.

"How was I supposed to know this was going to happen?" Hikaru defended sourly. "Besides, it's not like it was _our_ fault. You heard her…things weren't working out."

"But if _you_ hadn't keep prodding the subject, none of this would have happened." Kaoru pointed out.

"What else was I supposed to do?" The older twin walked to the bedroom and plopped down on their bed, staring at the ceiling absently. "Even you could see Haruhi wasn't happy…"

Karou sighed and sat on the opposite side of his brother, staring down at his brother's face. "But it's not your place to mess around in people's lives, Hikaru."

Hikaru stared back at him, slightly annoyed. "This coming from the one who's always telling me I need to 'open up'"

"I also told you to let her go." Karou reminded him then, after a short silence, sighed. "Face it, we screwed up. _Both_ of us…"

"So what do you think will happen now?" Hikaru asked quietly, the worry clear in is voice. "The club's never had anything like this happen before…"

"I know…" Kaoru sighed, "but there is no _club_ anymore, you know that."

It was, strictly speaking, the truth but the twin's didn't like thinking of the club as disbanded per se. After all, the club had been the one place where they had learned to actually like other people as apposed to locking away their emotions or care for others like they had as kids. The club was the first place were people had actually came to think of them as two different people, where others had actually bothered to at east try to tell them apart and care about them. Somewhere along the lines The Host Club had become more than just an afterschool thing they had bothered to be a part of: it had become a second home with people who had become their friends, even if they didn't want to admit it.

But now _that_ was about to be tested, they knew.

They just hoped what the former hosts had was stronger than this trial.

* * *

**Yep. There's only 2 chapter (and an epilogue) left before this ffic is complete AND I'm almost done writing it all! I'll be glad to have another finished ffic off my shoulder XD That way I can just write more ;P If you read please, please, please review!**


	5. Understanding

**Vatala Darkmist: omg XD I updated! Don't hurt yourself XD XD XD**

**animeluverr97: To be honest I didn't know how it would end either until like right now XD And yeah, there will be a few more HikaxHaru moments ;)**

**Gingiie666: Sorry to keep you waiting XD Glad you missed it thug :3**

**Lady Maeror: Yeah, that last chapter was lacking, but not this one :D I hope XD**

* * *

There had always been something about the ocean during an autumn sunset that Tamaki found refreshing. He didn't know if it was the fact no one in their sane mind would even think about braving the cool ocean breeze _and_ the cold fall air or that the sounds found on the beach were a break from the common hustle-bustle of the city. He didn't know but as he sat in the pearl white sand with his knees drawn to his chest and his arms resting on top on them, he felt…

"You're going to catch a cold out here, Tamaki." Kyoya's voice interrupted the blonde's train of thought as the former vice president came to stand next to him in the sand without even glancing at him.

Tamaki was silent for a while before realizing the reason Kyoya had picked this moment to appear and sighed. "I'll take it you heard the news, then?" He said, sullenly.

Kyoya nodded, not that Tamaki could see. "Naturally. Though your method of cooping comes more as a surprise."

"What do you mean?" Tamaki asked him, his face turning to an uncharacteristic pout.

"Well, I can't say I _didn't_ see it coming," Kyoya said honestly, the tone in his voice hardly helping the blonde's mood. "After all, during our club days it was fairly obvious each of us had a sort of thing for our little wall flower. The only mystery was who she was going to end up with in the end, if anyone."

Tamaki turned a looked of pure disbelief on his friend. "You mean, you're actually _admitting_ it?"

"No need to hid it, at least not anymore. And frankly, Tamaki, you should have seen it coming." Kyoya said simply. When Tamaki just stared back at him blankly with a slightly hurt expression in his purple eyes, Kyoya decided to elaborate. "Haruhi's a rare jewel, one that many a man and woman would love to get their hands on, yet you treated her like she was nothing more than an expensive artifact that needed to just be viewed by others as if to just prove that you own it. And, what more, I know you're not as hurt as you seem, Tamaki."

Tamaki said nothing but something had clearly changed behind his eyes and Kyoya knew that he had hit the fact dead-on. The two of them had know each other longer than the rest of the former host club, so it was only natural that hiding anything from each other was nearly impossible and the fact they hardly felt a reason to hide anything only added to that.

"Perhaps you already know what I'm telling you but the fact of truth is that you had began to feel the same way as Haruhi did. You may have tried desperately to keep the two of you together but in the end you knew you actually felt the same way, no?"

"I…" Tamaki drifted off into consideration. He didn't want to admit it but Kyoya was right, as usual. Or rather, his assumption overall _hadn't_ been right at first, Tamaki _had, _and did, care for Haruhi but it hadn't been considerably different then the typical "father-daughter" bond he felt with her back when the club was intact. And, yes, in a way he was relieved. He didn't feel particularly bad about the split but the fear that it would stain his and Haruhi's relationship still brought a sense of distress to the blonde. He didn't want anything like that to happen and he was sure Haruhi felt the same way, granted _she_ had been the one that did the breaking up. Still, if they had felt the same way and it was only now that something was being done, maybe Haruhi had had the same doubts about their relationship afterwards too.

Yet, if there was one thing all that time with the other hosts had taught the blonde it was that they could handle the wackiest and most dramatic of situations and still be a club at the end of the day.

Having taken the silence as a yes, Kyoya sighed and pushed his glasses back to their proper place on his nose. "Well, if anything, all this at least gives _him _another chance, right?" The former vice-president said furtively, a mild grin on his face.

"Yeah, it does." Tamaki agreed softly with a smile to match his friend's, both of them thinking the exact same thing. "If he decides to take it."

"Give it time." Kyoya alleged as the two returned their gaze to the ocean, glittering under the autumn sun. "He may just surprise us, Tamaki."

* * *

"Why is this place always so busy?" Kaoru asked blandly as he stared at what must have been about a hundred dozen people in the local airport from where he and his brother sat in the seats from across one of the busier loading gates.

"Like I know." Hikaru replied in much the same tones as he double-checked the gate number. "This _is_ where we're supposed to met them, right?

"Yeah. Pretty sure." The younger twin replied after short thought and sighing. "Maybe their flight's just late."

Hikaru rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his seat, arms folded across his chest. "Typical."

Within seconds a silence had engulfed the brothers, with the obvious exception of the rushing of people in the terminal, which lasted for an unusual length of time until the younger twin sighed heavily, troubled.

"Listen, sorry about last night." He said quietly, avoiding his brother's gaze.

"Forget it." Hikaru replied.

"I didn't mea—"

"I know." The eldest twin looked at his brother and managed a half-hearted smile. "Let's just forget about it."

Kaoru opened his mouth again but was cut off by an all-too-familiar, and somewhat high-pitched, shout among the crowd.

"Hika-chan! Kao-chan!"

"It's about time," Hikaru grunted as Honey and Mori appeared among the crowd, the blonde waving so wildly his hand was just a blur as each of them walked up to the brothers, luggage in tow.

"Our flight got delayed," Mori explained simply to them.

"Obviously, but other then the lack of sufficient air transportation, how are you?" Kaoru questioned, an obvious newfound joy in this voice.

"Yeah, how's the university?" Hikaru added, curiously.

"It's huge!" Honey exclaimed throwing his arms up in the air for emphasis and nearly hitting Mori for his efforts. "I've never seen such a big school, or so many people! How are things here in America?" The blonde asked excitedly.

"Fine," the twins said in unison. _All things considered,_ both of them added mentally.

The older pair looked at each other before narrowing their eyes and leaning towards the brothers, suspiciously.

"You don't have to lie to us." The little blonde told them, jamming his hands on his hips with a look of mock disappointment. "Kyo-chan already told us about Tama-chan and Haru-chan." He added.

The twins looked at each other, shocked, before Hikaru raised an eyebrow confused. "Well, you don't sound too worried about it."

"Just what did he tell you?" Kaoru asked.

"That they broke up, but that's not surprising." Honey told them in tones five times more calm then they had expected, which only sent the brothers into a wave of confusion.

"Not much anyway." Mori agreed.

"Why not?" Hikaru asked, trying to hide his momentary lapse in understanding.

Honey frowned slightly, a thoughtful look on his boyish face. "Well…I dunno if I should tell you Hika-chan."

"Tell me what?"

Kaoru sighed loudly, a somewhat exasperated look accompanying it. "You might as well, everyone else knows and all this waiting is getting us nowhere."

Utterly confused now, Hikaru looked at each of his friends in turn as each of them looked at each other, obviously trying to figure out who would reveal this mysterious news now that they couldn't just forget about it.

In the end it was Honey who took the plunge.

"Tama-chan always knew you had a thing for Haruhi, Hika-chan." Honey told him with his typical boyish smile, noticing with no small amount of amusement the look that came over the eldest twin's face.

"We all did," Mori corrected simply.

"That's right! But you never did anything about it so Tama-chan did," Honey explained. "But I think that deep down, Tama-chan's heart wasn't in it because he knew that you're the one who really cared for Haru-chan." The blonde finished softly.

Hikaru blinked, both somewhat angry and confused. Confused by Tamaki's intended actions and angry that this little secret had gone unnoticed by him and not everyone else, though there was a definite feeling of stupidity on his part that went along with it.

"And no one bothered to tell me this…?" He said finally, with a noticeable bitter tone. "_How_ long have you guys known?"

"Oh…Sometime after the whole date in Karuizawa." Kaoru answered humbly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"But...why…?" Hikaru drifted off. It didn't make sense to him, any of it. In his head, he had always thought that Tamaki dating Haruhi while the club was still a club was almost a betrayal of sorts and had just assumed the others thought the same as well. But now…

Luckily, Kaoru already figured out what his brother had tried to ask. "Because, we don't just stand on little things like that."

"Kao-chan is right. Even if we're not a Host Club anymore, we're still a family and all we want is to make sure we're all happy." Honey claimed happily.

"Even if it means dealing with some people's density." Kaoru said, clapping his brother on the shoulder with a grin.

"Or Tamaki." Mori added, making the group laugh, even Hikaru who realized that Honey was right. And dead right at that. From the start, Tamaki hadn't just wanted them to be some club who just met after school to do the same thing everyday. From that first day when the blonde had tracked each and every one of the club members down one-by-one, he had done it with a greater purpose. A purpose that may have seemed varied depending on the member, but was really one goal for them all. He had wanted them to be more than friends; he had wanted the club to become a family. While each of them might have had scattered and darkened pasts, Tamaki had gathered them with the goal of a better and brighter future, together.

And as they left they airport and headed back to the apartments, Hikaru found he was glad for it and it was evident so was everyone else. After all, without The King's nagging them into the club, who knows where any of them would have ended up if they kept living the way they had?

"Well, should we give you the grand tour then?" Kaoru asked them once they arrived and Honey cheered excitedly as Mori just nodded.

"You guys go on ahead." Hikaru told them sheepishly, earning confused looks from all three of them as he motioned in the other direction. "I…need to do something."

The others looked at each other, puzzled, but continued down the hall as Hikaru went down the opposite hall. Walking up a separate flight of stairs he walked down another hall until he reached the door at the end of the hall. Sighing deeply, and not believing what he was about to do, the twin nodded and waited. After what sounded like an excited yelp, the twin heard the sound of scrambling feet and the door opened to reveal a rather shocked Tamaki.

"Hikaru? What—" He began.

"I like Haruhi." The twin blurted, instantly shocking the blonde to silence.

* * *

**ALRIGHT GUYS. Only 1 chapter left (then an epilogue) and this ffic is DONE. After long last! ThenI have to work on more ffic that are just sitting on my pc XD PLEASE READ AND REVIEW IF YOU READ. You know who you are :p**


	6. What It's All About

**DMG5440 : Glad you're enjoying (enjoyed) it! Hope you enjoy this last chapter as well :D**

**leap4joytx : I don't think I've gotten much better XD and me and pronouns have never gotten along very well. But I DID try for this last chapter ;)**

**Vatala Darkmist: EK! No hostage situation needed! Here's some more! XD**

**0Wishful-Thoughts0: RIGHT? Took long enough Hikaru ;P And Mori and Honey are always a good add :3  
**

**RainbowsNSmiles5: Awe thanks :D it's comments like that that make me want to write more :3 Unfortunately this IS the last chapter XD And Bona Fide means "true" or "authentic" while Camaraderie means "comradeship" or basically "friendship" Hope that helps :D**

**VtheCheshireMao : Dawe that's okay. So long as you review and tell me what you think, I could care less about the quality XD**

**i-Spit-on-Fire: Hmm..I get that often but never really thought it was true XD**

**Gingiie666: So says many HikaxHaru fans XD And I agreed :3**

* * *

For a second, Tamaki was uncharacteristically speechless.

"Boss, did you hear me?" Hikaru asked impatiently after a few seconds had gone by without the blonde saying anything and simply gawking at the eldest twin like he had just sprouted an extra head.

"I did," Tamaki answered slowly, then eyed the twin suspiciously as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But I don't know if I believe it." The blonde continued before moving closer to the twin until their noses were practically touching with a dead serious look on his face. "Blink twice if you're being forced to say this against your will, Hikaru."

Hikaru did nothing but stare at the blonde with growing irritation until the blonde squealed in delight.

"Then it's true!" Tamaki nearly sung, cupping his face in excitement.

"Yeah." Hikaru assured him somewhat awkwardly. "And I'm sorry I didn't have the guts to realize it before. And I'm sorry you had to cover for it…or whatever you thought you were doing." He added, still slightly puzzled by that part before noticing the equally confused look on Tamaki's face before elaborating, "They told me everything."

From the opposite side of the room, Kyoya, whose presence had gone unnoticed by the twin until now, smirked. "What an fortunate change of circumstance." He said, apparently to the ceiling.

Tamaki nodded in agreement. "I never thought I'd see the day! Our little Hikaru has finally grown-up Kyoya! His come to truly embrace his feelings towards our little Haruhi!"

Joining Tamaki by the door, the former vice-president looked at the twin, mildly impressed. "Have to say, we had our doubts, but it does pose the question of what do you intend to do now?"

Hikaru blinked. "Uh…"

"What do you mean 'what's he going to do next'?" Tamaki asked his friend in astonishment as he looped on arm around the twin and pointed down the hall in a dramatic fashion. "He's going to march straight up to Haruhi and confess his attraction!"

_Okay, __this__ was a bad idea…_ Hikaru thought sourly as he tried to think a way out of this latest development before the boss dragged him to what would probably be the most embarrassing feat of his life.

"Listen, boss, don't you think—" The twin began only to be cut off as the blonde rushed out the door shouting 'let's go!' loud enough that several of the floor's other occupants opened their doors to see what the commotion was all about.

Following at a much more civil and silent manner, Kyoya shook his head as he heard Tamaki bolt down up the stairs. "Of course he doesn't think, Hikaru." He said to no one in particular. "Tamaki just _does_."

Meanwhile, and quite unaware of anything going on the floors below her, Haruhi sat at the lone desk in her house, books and paper covering most of the surface, as she chewed thoughtfully on the end of her pen. Her eyes were set on a paper in front of her, the numerical lingo of math spread neatly on it finished for the most part minus a single problem lying on the bottom of the page. After she had stared at it blankly for a few more minutes she thought she had it when there was a sudden pounding on her door.

"Oh great, _now_ what?" She muttered, hoping it was anybody but who she thought it was as she slowly, and on purpose, made her way to the door as the knocking turned into a pounding as if her door was a drum set in the hands of a little kid. With a heavy, and drawn out sigh, the female opened the door…

"Tamaki?" She said with a faint amount of shock but largely noticeable irritation aimed at the three males at her door.

Hikaru scoffed from the doorway. "We've know her for years and yet she's still in shock whenever she sees you. What does that say, Boss?" He asked, mostly in a vain effort to distract the former King from what he was trying to drag him into.

"Haruhi! Hikaru has something to tell you!" Tamaki virtually sung, smashing the twin's hope like a twig, and before the door had even fully opened, practically shoving the older twin in the door and into Haruhi before she could even utter a syllable as to why the three of them were there.

What could best be described as an extremely awkward and expecting silence filled the area and remained for a few minutes before Hikaru gulped.

Figuring he was already in the hot spot and running away was about as acceptable as saying nothing and just staring at Haruhi (currently looking at him with a mixed confused/miffed expression that warned him he better do something and fast). So with a deep breath, Hikaru told his heart to stop its annoying pounding, and took the dive with: "I…I'll...Always be here...Just so you know."

Not being what she had expected, the female blinked, taken aback by the almost sincere tone in the twin's voice and actually smiled at him, knowing this wasn't an everyday thing for the estranged twins. "Thanks, Hikaru." She said in much the same tones, as she looked at him with delighted eyes. "The same goes for me."

From the hall, Kyoya noticed the look that came over Tamaki's face and smirked. "Not quite the ending you expected?" He asked the blonde knowingly as he leaned against the crudely coloured wall of the hall. "These things take time Tamaki, just be patient."

"Oh, I plan on it," the blonde informed him happily, with an unmistakable sparkle in his florid eyes that made Kyoya feel as though the blonde had planned the encounter with impeccable results.

"So why are you all here, anyway?" Haruhi asked, loud enough so the hallway duo could hear.

Hikaru blinked. "Um…-" he began, mind working frantically for an excuse.

"Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai just arrived." Kyoya filled in flawlessly, without even looking at Haruhi. "I believe seeing you _is_ one of the reasons they stop by, Haruhi."

"Yeah, that's it." Haruhi agreed, feeling dumb for not thinking of that himself.

"Exactly!" Tamaki exclaimed, enthusiastically "They're just outside waiting to see you." He cooed, grabbing the female and walking down the hall, getting all of two feet before Haruhi pulled away from him.

"Tamaki, wait." Haruhi said quietly, stopping the blonde dead in his tracks with her tone. Another silence filled the hall at the moment, during which Haruhi looked coyly at her feet before sighing and looking up at the blonde with obvious confidence. "I'm sor—"

Tamaki held up a hand, cutting her off mid-sentence. "No need to apologize, it was for the best, no?" He smiled full-heartedly, grabbing the female's hand and kissing it gently, unhindered by the look that came over her face. "After all, you'll always be my little girl Haruhi"

"Tamaki, now is hardly the time," Kyoya said patiently, walking past the scene without a second glance. Seconds later, he was joined by Tamaki and Haruhi.

As he watched them go, Hikaru felt a smile cross his face. They had been through a lot as The Host Club, and there had been times were he had honestly wondered how in the world they, or he, could stand the everyday drama and chaos that had come with it. To this day, the same question still buzzed around his head from time-to-time but somewhere along the line he knew what Honey had said before became the truth. They would always be a club, there was no doubt about that, but more importantly they would always be a _family_.

And a crazy one at that.

But they wouldn't change it for the world.

* * *

**Alright! I know I said there'd be a epilogue but it seems like needless addition to me. So with this chapter I conclude Bona Fide Camaraderie and I give a big thanks to those of you who took the time to review and not just fav :P**

**To answer the question now, I'm not sure if I'll be making a sequel or not. I've been a busy bee lately and it's a relief to have this story done with. I have another ffic to finish before I can even think about writing a sequel but if I do, you will know ;)**


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